SUNDAY, November 28 marks the beginning of the Advent season at Holy Cross Church in Crediton.

It is also the beginning of the church’s year when thoughts turn to Christmas preparations.

This year Holy Cross will also be celebrating on Sunday the arrival of Jonathan Rawles as the new Director of Music.

His first special service will be Sunday’s Advent evening service, with procession, beginning at 6pm, to which all are invited.

Crediton Rector, Rev Matthew Tregenza, said: “It is particularly appropriate that Jonathan joins us right at the start of the Church Year which in 2021/22 will, we trust, see an increasing return to normality after all the pain and disruption of Covid.

“For us at Holy Cross, music has always played an important part in enhancing worship; like choirs up and down the country we have been very much constrained by coronavirus precautions in that respect.

“Thanks to the hard work of Richard Stephens, our acting Director of Music, the choir managed to keep going even when it was limited to members recording their own voices at home, with the tracks then stitched together to play over the sound system during a Sunday service.

“Then things were relaxed to allow a small group to lead singing and, more recently, we have been back to a larger choir, albeit socially distanced.

“On Sunday we are really looking forward to Jonathan joining us to lead the choir as members return to their traditional choir stalls for the wonderful Advent service which, in words and music, starts to prepare us for celebrating the birth of Christ a month later.”

Jonathan said: “I am really delighted to be coming to Crediton in order to continue and build upon its strong musical tradition with its celebrated choir of both adults and children.

“It is particularly exciting to be joining at Advent and Christmas when, after a turbulent 18 months, some of the music which we now sing through this festive period is not only so familiar and comforting to us, but also speaks strongly about joy, faith, and most importantly hope.

“As I sit here on St Cecilia’s Day, the patron saint of music, writing, I am reminded of a sermon once preached by the Rev Richard Coles who stated ‘Music, her medium, reminds us more effectively than anything else, in my view, that beyond our horizons, but implicit within them, lies the possibility of limitless hope’, and it is with that thought I joyfully take up the position as Director of Music and look forward to a happier, brighter, and more musical new year.”

Holy Cross choir is a choir of all ages. Children (from primary school age upward) rehearse on Tuesday and Friday with the older ones staying on for the start of the adult rehearsal at 7pm on Friday evenings.

The choir provides an excellent free musical education - following the Royal School of Church Music Voice for Life scheme - but members emphasise that it is fun too!

If you are interested in finding out more about joining, whether as a child or adult, Jonathan can be contacted on: [email protected] or 07515 951408.